Short Films Bring Much Needed Relief to DOTA 2

DOTA 2 can be a pretty daunting game with an equally intense player base. The experience can leave players feeling burnt out quickly, but luckily there are some great community projects that inject much needed relief into the game. Among these projects the annual Short Film Contest is perhaps the best known. This contest invites anyone to submit their films and is often a great method to introduce some much needed humor into the rage inducing machine that is DOTA 2.

Of course, not all of the videos submissions will be great. Far from it. With any contest there are tons of terrible videos that will make you cringe and ask yourself “Why am I watching this garbage?” But I’m not here to talk about those. I’m here to talk about the few that truly shine among the rest.

TRUE PUB HERO is one of these shining examples. This short film uses a quirky animation style and in-game sounds to show the typical experience of a support player. TRUE PUB HERO is humorous, relatable, and is accompanied by an extremely catchy tune. Seriously, I can’t get the song out of my head.

Not a fan of animation? Then you need to watch The Masked Warrior. This film was shot in a real world location and features an original storyline. No rehashed sound effects or animation here. To say the team did a remarkable job would be an understatement. The film has amazing special effects and great acting performances. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if this film took first place.

But perhaps my favorite entry is The Ward. What’s this film about? A ward of course! Well to be more precise it dramatizes the reaction of your team when a ward is misplaced. The beauty of this film is that it is able to turn such a simple mistake into an entertaining video that has brought a smile to thousands of viewers. If you’ve ever played a support hero then this is a must watch.

The Short Film Contest itself is an annual event that coincides with The International tournament. Unlike previous years, entries were allowed to be up to 90 seconds in length instead of the previous 60 seconds. Anyone can vote for their favorite films in either DOTA 2 or by visiting the DOTA 2 Workshop on Steam. Prizes include $25,000 to 1st place; $10,000 to 2nd place; $5,000 to 3rd place; and $500 to the remaining seven finalists. Players are still able to vote at the time of writing.